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Survivor Series (1994)
Survivor Series (1994) was the eighth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 23, 1994 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. It was also the last Survivor Series to take place on the traditional Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving Eve date the show had always occupied since its inception; the following Survivor Series and all subsequent shows have taken place on Sunday nights. Two main event matches were held; in the first, Bob Backlund won the WWF Championship from Bret Hart in a submission match after Bret's brother Owen convinced their mother to throw in a towel to end the match. In the other main event, The Undertaker defeated Yokozuna in a casket match. The event also featured three elimination matches and two singles matches. Razor Ramon led The Bad Guys against Diesel's team of The Teamsters. Ramon won the match for his team after all members of the other team were counted out. Doink the Clown teamed with three midgets to form Clowns R' Us in a match against The Royal Family, composed of Jerry Lawler and three midgets. The Royal Family won the match, but all seven other competitors attacked Lawler after the match. Lex Luger led Guts and Glory against the Million Dollar Corporation team, which was managed by Ted DiBiase. DiBiase's team won after Luger, the last wrestler from his team, was pinned. Shawn Michaels and Diesel, the WWF Tag Team Champions going in to the event, began feuding after Michaels accidentally kicked Diesel during the match. They vacated their title and began a feud that led to a match at WrestleMania XI. Three days after Survivor Series, Diesel won the WWF Championship by defeating Backlund. The rivalry between Backlund and Bret Hart continued, and they also faced each other at WrestleMania XI. Background was feuding with his brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith and his brother Bret Hart leading up the event.]] Several storylines formed the background for the opening match, which saw the fan favorite team of The Bad Guys (Razor Ramon, the 1-2-3 Kid, Davey Boy Smith and The Headshrinkers) square off against the villainous team of The Teamsters (Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Jeff Jarrett, Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart). Razor Ramon had been feuding with Shawn Michaels since September 1993 when Ramon won the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Michaels, the former champion, had been stripped of the belt. WWF President Jack Tunney scheduled a battle royal, in which Ramon and Rick Martel were the final participants remaining. They faced each other on Monday Night RAW, and Ramon won the match and was awarded the title. Michaels claimed that he was the rightful holder of the belt and refused to acknowledge Ramon as the champion. Diesel was serving as Michaels' bodyguard but soon became an active wrestler and carried on Michaels' feud with Ramon. In the months leading up to Survivor Series, Ramon had also developed a feud with Jeff Jarrett, and the two faced each other several times with the Intercontinental Championship on the line. Ramon's friend, the 1-2-3 Kid, took Ramon's side in these feuds, and the two formed an occasional tag team. The Headshrinkers had also been feuding with Michaels and Diesel since dropping the WWF Tag Team Championship to them on August 28. The Headshrinkers had several rematches but were unable to regain the belts. Finally, Davey Boy Smith was involved in a feud with his real-life brother-in-law Owen Hart and Hart's other brother-in-law, Jim Neidhart. Owen Hart had turned on his brother Bret at the 1994 Royal Rumble, after which Smith got involved on Bret's side and Neidhart took Owen's side. Although Jerry Lawler and Doink the Clown had a storyline rivalry that dated back to when Doink turned on Lawler by dumping a bucket of water on him following SummerSlam 1993, the feud had rarely been mentioned since then. On the September 10, 1994 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, however, Lawler provoked Doink by popping balloons carried by Doink's midget sidekick Dink. The rivalry soon led to Lawler introducing a midget named Queasy, who dressed like Lawler. Doink and Lawler then introduced several more midgets over the following weeks. An elimination match was booked for Survivor Series, with Lawler, Queasy, Sleazy and Cheesy facing Doink, Dink, Wink and Pink. Bret Hart's feud with Bob Backlund dated back to the July 30, 1994 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling. Backlund believed that he had won the match and the WWF Championship by defeating Hart. The match had not ended, however, and Hart pinned Backlund. When Hart tried to shake Backlund's hand after the match, Backlund turned on him and performed the crossface chickenwing on Hart. Following the match, Backlund acted quite differently than he had when he portrayed a face. He claimed that he had never truly been beaten for the WWF Championship on December 26, 1983, as the match ended when his manager, Arnold Skaaland, threw a towel into the ring rather than allowing Backlund to submit to the Iron Sheik's camel clutch. A submission match was booked between Hart and Backlund for Survivor Series with the stipulation that the match could only end when a wrestler's cornerman threw a towel in to the ring. Hart's cornerman was his real-life brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith. Backlund's cornerman was Bret's brother Owen Hart, who had a long rivalry with Bret since turning on him during a tag team match at the 1994 Royal Rumble. was feuding with the Million Dollar Corporation leading in to Survivor Series.]] The central feud in the match between Guts & Glory and The Million Dollar Team was between Lex Luger and Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. During 1994, DiBiase had "purchased" the contracts of several wrestlers to form a heel stable. Among the members to join were Bam Bam Bigelow and King Kong Bundy. Prior to SummerSlam 1994, DiBiase claimed to have added Luger to the group. Luger denied having joined, despite Tatanka claiming that he had evidence that Luger had "sold out" to DiBiase. Luger and Tatanka faced each other at SummerSlam, where it was revealed that the storyline was a swerve, as Tatanka turned on Luger to join the Million Dollar Corporation. Bigelow and Adam Bomb had also been feuding since the September 10, 1994 episode of Superstars of Wrestling. Bigelow attacked his opponent, a jobber, before the match. DiBiase then claimed that the company was not providing suitable competition, and he challenged any wrestler to face Bigelow. Bomb responded, and the two brawled briefly. Leading up to Survivor Series, Bomb and Bigelow faced each other at several house shows. The Heavenly Bodies were not members of DiBiase's stable, but they competed on behalf of the group. At the time, they were involved in a feud with The Smokin' Gunns as a result of a match on the September 3 episode of Superstars of Wrestling. The Heavenly Bodies attacked the Gunns prior to the match and stole the Gunns' cowboy hats. They put on the hats to mock the Gunns and then threw them on the ground and stomped on them. To get revenge, the Gunns stole The Heavenly Bodies' ring robes and tore the wings off them. The feud between The Undertaker and Yokozuna began at Survivor Series 1993. During an elimination match, Yokozuna was unable to injure The Undertaker, despite slamming The Undertaker's head into the ring steps and performing the Banzai drop on him. A match was booked for Royal Rumble 1994, in which The Undertaker would challenge WWF Champion Yokozuna for the title in a Casket match. During the match, which featured a no-disqualification clause, Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna's manager, hired nine other wrestlers to interfere on Yokozuna's behalf. Yokozuna won the match after opening The Undertaker's urn, which, according to the storyline, contained the secret to The Undertaker's powers. After the match, The Undertaker appeared on the video screen and vowed to return to the World Wrestling Federation one day. He was not seen for several months, although, in reality, he was taking time off wrestling to allow injuries to heal. The Undertaker returned at SummerSlam 1994, defeating an impostor pretending to be The Undertaker. A rematch against Yokozuna was scheduled for Survivor Series. This was also to be a Casket match, but Chuck Norris was brought in as a special outside referee to prevent interference. Event The first match of the event saw The Bad Guys, which consisted of Razor Ramon, the 1-2-3 Kid, the Davey Boy Smith, and The Headshrinkers (Sionne and Fatu) versus The Teamsters, composed of Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Jarrett, Owen Hart, and Jim Neidhart. The opening minutes of the match featured brothers-in-law Hart and Smith trading moves as well as Jarrett and Ramon brawling. Fatu became the first wrestler eliminated after Diesel performed a Jackknife powerbomb on him. Diesel eliminated the 1-2-3 Kid forty-two seconds later after another Jackknife powerbomb. Sionne followed thirty-one seconds later after being pinned by Diesel. Davey Boy Smith entered the ring, but Diesel soon knocked him between the ropes to the arena floor. Hart and Neidhart prevented Smith from getting back in the ring, and Smith was eliminated after the referee counted him out. Razor Ramon was left as the only member of his team to face the five members of The Teamsters. He fought with Diesel for several minutes, but Diesel then performed the Jackknife powerbomb on him and prepared to pin him for the victory. Michaels insisted on having Diesel hold Ramon while Michaels performed a superkick on their opponent. Ramon dodged the kick, and Michaels kicked Diesel in the face. Diesel became angry at Michaels, particularly because the same mistake had cost Diesel the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. He and Michaels argued outside the ring while the rest of the team attempted to calm them down. The referee counted all five wrestlers out of the ring and declared Razor Ramon the winner of the match. Shawn Michaels was shown backstage after the match, and he stated that he was disbanding his tag team with Diesel and vacating the Tag Team Championship. He then got into a car and drove away from the arena. won his second WWF Championship by defeating Bret Hart.]] The match between Jerry Lawler's team, known as The Royal Family (with Queasy, Sleazy, and Cheesy), and Doink's Clowns R' Us team (with Dink, Wink, and Pink) consisted of comedic action for much of the first ten minutes. Eventually, Doink attempted a crossbody, but Lawler reversed the move. He was able to pin Doink and eliminate him from the match. Lawler remained involved in the match and played a role in the elimination of two more members of Doink's team. When Wink attempted a monkey flip against Queasy, Lawler blocked the move and helped Queasy to pin Wink. Later in the match, Lawler threw Cheesy on top of Pink, which enabled Cheesy to eliminate another of Doink's teammates. After Wink and Pink were eliminated, however, they hid under the ring rather than returning backstage. The final member of Clowns R' Us was eliminated after Sleazy and Dink fought in the ring. Dink performed a crossbody on Sleazy and attempted to pin him. Queasy rolled the wrestlers over so that Sleazy was on top, however, and the referee made the three count and awarded the match to The Royal Family. As Queasy, Sleazy and Cheesy celebrated after the match, Lawler criticized them for taking credit for the victory. All six midgets turned against Lawler and chased him away from the ring. As Lawler tried to escape, Doink returned and hit him in the face with a pie. The next match was the submission match between champion Bret Hart and challenger Bob Backlund. The rules stated that the match would end when a wrestler's cornerman (Owen Hart for Backlund or Davey Boy Smith for Bret) threw a towel into the ring. Bret got the early advantage and wore down Backlund using head locks, but Backlund broke free and attempted a crossface chickenwing on Bret. Bret escaped, but Backlund maintained the advantage by attacking Bret's arm and attempting another crossface chickenwing. Bret used a figure four leglock on Backlund, but Backlund got out of the hold. Bret then used the sharpshooter, his signature hold, on Backlund. Owen entered the ring and clotheslined Bret from behind to break the hold. Smith chased Owen around the ring but fell and was kayfabe knocked unconscious on the ring steps. While Bret was distracted, Backlund applied the crossface chickenwing. Owen appeared concerned for his brother, and he begged his parents, Stu and Helen Hart, to throw Bret's towel in to the ring. After Bret had been in the hold for several minutes, Helen threw in the towel to give Backlund the victory. Owen showed that his concern was not genuine by celebrating Bret's loss as Backlund was awarded the WWF Championship. and Yokozuna.]] The team of Guts and Glory, consisting of Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, Mabel, and The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart Gunn), faced The Million Dollar Team, made up of Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) in the next match. Guts and Glory took the early lead when Mabel pinned Prichard after performing a crossbody from the second rope. Mabel fought Bundy and Bigelow, but he was counted out after clotheslining Bigelow out of the ring. Bigelow then performed a moonsault on Bomb and got a pinfall. Luger and Del Ray fought back and forth until Luger performed a running forearm smash on Del Ray to get the pinfall. The Smokin' Gunns were eliminated next, as Tatanka pinned Bart and Bundy pinned Billy. Luger fought back by pinning Tatanka with a small package. Seven seconds later, Bundy pinned Luger after performing a splash to get the victory. Bundy, Bigelow, and Tatanka continued to attack Luger after the match until Luger's team returned to the ring to save him. The main event was next, featuring The Undertaker versus Yokozuna in a casket match with Chuck Norris as the special outside referee. The Undertaker gained the early advantage, but Yokozuna reversed the momentum with a Samoan drop. He tried to put The Undertaker in the casket, but The Undertaker fought back. Yokozuna next performed a leg drop and placed The Undertaker in the casket. Before Yokozuna could close the lid, however, The Undertaker attacked him and the two wrestlers fought while standing in the casket. The Undertaker performed a clothesline from the top rope and placed Yokozuna in the casket. King Kong Bundy and Bam Bam Bigelow came down the aisle toward the ring, but Chuck Norris blocked their path. While Norris was distracted, however, Irwin R. Schyster entered the ring from the other side and attacked The Undertaker. He placed The Undertaker in the casket, but The Undertaker recovered before Yokozuna could close the lid. Jeff Jarrett tried to interfere on Yokozuna's behalf, but Norris stopped him with a superkick. The Undertaker performed a DDT and a big boot on Yokozuna. He then rolled his opponent in to the casket and closed the lid to gain the victory. Aftermath Three days after Survivor Series, Bob Backlund faced Diesel in a title defense. Diesel won the match in eight seconds to become the new WWF Champion. Backlund's feud with Bret Hart continued, and the two had a rematch in an "I Quit" match. Hart won the match by using the crossface chickenwing to make Backlund concede defeat. 's Million Dollar Corporation spent much of 1995 feuding with The Undertaker.]] A tournament was held to determine the new WWF Tag Team Champions. The 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly won the title at Royal Rumble 1995 but dropped the belts the following night to The Smoking Gunns. Diesel and Shawn Michaels began a feud as a result of the events at Survivor Series. After Michaels won a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania XI by winning the 1995 Royal Rumble match, he faced his former bodyguard for the title. Diesel won the match after Sid, Michaels' new bodyguard, accidentally distracted the referee. Diesel offered Michaels a rematch, and Michaels told Sid that his services would not be required during the rematch. Sid attacked Michaels, and Diesel came to Michaels' defense. This attack caused Michaels to turn face, and he and Diesel resumed their friendship and won the WWF Tag Team Championship later in 1995. Lex Luger's feud with the Million Dollar Corporation did not continue, as the Corporation targeted The Undertaker. The Undertaker spent most of the following year feuding with the Corporation, as he faced Schyster at the 1995 Royal Rumble, King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania XI, and Kama at SummerSlam 1995. Luger was placed in a tag team with Davey Boy Smith known as The Allied Powers, but he left the WWF for rival promotion World Championship Wrestling the following year. Yokozuna did not regain his main event status after Survivor Series. After taking some time off, he made a surprise return at WrestleMania XI as Owen Hart's partner in a tag team match against The Smoking Gunns, the champions. Yokozuna and Hart won the WWF Tag Team Championship, and Owen's feud with Bret was dropped. The brothers eventually reunited in 1997 to form The Hart Foundation, a stable that also included Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart. Results Survivor Series elimination matches 1 2 3 Category:1994 in wrestling Category:Pay-Per-View Events Category:WWE for Extreme Category:Survivor Series